Christine Harris - Author

Teachers / Parents

Encouraging children to read (great tips for parents)

  • Read regularly to your children, starting when they are in the womb
  • Set the example. A child who sees a parent reading is more likely to pick up a book
  • Put a bookshelf in your child's room and fill it with a variety of books
  • Create a comfortable, cheerful reading space - a sofa, a pile of bright cushions or a pretty corner of the garden
  • Help them find time to read. You could allow reading time between bed and lights out, or have some TV-free times
  • Encourage your child to enter 'Read-a-thons'. They feel a real sense of achievement at the number of books they have read. Awards, such as certificates or book prizes help too. 'Read-a-thons' that earn money for charities help others too, not just the readers
  • Let TV help. Ask your child to read the TV guide, select and mark shows they wish to watch. You could also ask them why they chose those particular shows. TV log books can be an interesting idea, and children can rate their watched shows with a star system or reviews
  • Share stories with your children, perhaps about your own childhood, or tell them the story of their birth and the funny things they did as toddlers
  • Have books readily available throughout the house, including the smallest room
  • Visit the local library as a family. Introduce your children to the librarian. Arrange for your child to have his or her own library card. Go to the storytelling, puppet or author sessions
  • Use booklists that say, 'If you like this book, then you might like to try...' Public libraries, school libraries and websites like Amazon these lists
  • Ask teachers or other parents which books their children have enjoyed
  • Visit bookshops
  • Consider a book allowance, in addition to pocket money to be used only for books or magazines
  • If your child starts a book but doesn't finish it, that's okay. But praise them for finishing a long or difficult book
  • Borrow or buy 'talking books' on tape or CD to play at bedtime
  • Let them read to you, but don't force them
  • Read the books your children are reading at school and talk about them
  • Subscribe to a magazine that interests your child. It's exciting when the postie brings it to the house with the child's own name on the front
  • Help children find suitable websites that suit their interests. For example, if your daughter is mad about horses, search for child-friendly sites on that subject
  • Select computer games that encourage reading
  • Include reading outside of the book. Ask your child to read out instructions for new purchases, the backs of DVD's in the rental shop, children's sections of newspapers, comics or graphic novels, catalogues, labels or cookbooks. An easy way to encourage reading of recipes is to give your child a simple cookbook, then ask them to choose a recipe that you will cook together
  • Play games that include words. A couple of examples - cut out words from old newspapers that your child would say describes his or her self, then put them together to make a poem. Or, if you go to the cinema, try to find the entire alphabet in the credits.
  • Keep books in the car - this helps long journeys pass quicker too
  • If your child really enjoyed a particular movie and it's based on a book, buy or borrow the book
  • When you are travelling, ask your child to look up the street directory or map and plot a course - they can also watch our for street signs and read them out

golden writer

Encouraging children to write                           

  • Write yourself so the child sees you doing it too
  • If your child is into notebooks, buy them a supply of notebooks and coloured pens: or, if they prefer using the computer, help them set up their own folder for documents
  • Suggest your child starts a Dream Diary, where they record their dreams
  • Encourage your child to read their own stories aloud to you or one of their siblings
  • Ask your child to help you write shopping lists, messages or letters. When you are shopping, it also keeps children busy if it's their task to cross off each item as it's purchased
  • For very young children, suggest that they copy out the words of their favourite story or poem
  • Keep a message board in the house where each member of the family writes notes and reads them
  • Help your child find a pen-pal or e-pal
  • Make it a habit to write Thank You notes when you receive a gift or when someone does something special for you – where the child is reluctant to take the time, one option is to ban the toy or gift until the note is written, you’ll be amazed how quickly it is done
  • Encourage your child to make and write their own greeting cards – an extra help here is to suggest the child writes why or where they got the gift, if a gift is included
  • Read to your children while they draw pictures of the story - it helps them visualise the characters and setting
  • Keep a diary or journal, either in a book or on the computer
  • Ask your child to write captions for photos in your albums (a good idea to discuss it first!)
  • When you go on holidays, keep a travel diary (we keep a hiking journal with notes and photos and we love reading through it)
  • Play family games that involve writing (such as Scattergories), and encourage the child to do crosswords, work out anagrams
  • Turn your child’s written story into a book and bind the pages with ribbon or yarn – or if your child is older, encourage them to send what they have written to a competition or magazine (there is a permanent Write a Book Review competition for kids on this site, along with hints on how to write them)
  • If your child feels strongly about a building project on a local park or recycling, encourage them to write a letter to the Editor of appropriate newspapers or magazines and express their views
  • Think about school newsletters or magazines: children write articles, short stories and poetry for these
  • There are always family celebrations, such as birthdays: these are great opportunities for children to write to their Nanna or auntie ( a good way to encourage this is to send your child a hand-written note from time to time so they understand how it feels to receive a letter)
  • Make writing a pleasurable part of everyday life
  • Display your child’s writing on the fridge or family notice board
  • Make a family time capsule: each person writes about their interests, hopes and dreams, friends ... whatever they feel is important, then bury/hide it and open it in the agreed number of years
  • Let your child write words and pictures on cement with chalk
  • Give your child a pad of sticky-notes so they can write their own reminders
  • Allow your child quiet times to write and read, and sometimes this involves thinking or scribbling time
  • Think about preparing a fun place for your child to write (our daughter loved her desk, which had a map of the world on the top)
  • Suggest making lists: ways to cheer up a sick friend, 10 places they’d like to visit, books they have always wanted to read, favourite holiday activities, favourite songs – and if you, the parent, do the same and share it’s a great way to communicate
  • Suggest the child writes out the words to their favourite song, so they can learn it or sing along
  • There are often author talks for kids at festivals or in libraries that you can encourage your child to attend: new ideas are always welcome
  • Suggest they start a family scrapbook with pictures, memorabilia and stories (a wonderful thing to keep too)
  • If your child has read a book they like, then get them to write a letter to their favourite character in the book: a further option is to post or email this to the author (most authors have websites with contact details and, if not, letters can be sent through the book publisher), or perhaps your child would like to email the author (there is a Guest Book on this site, for starters)
  • Create a family newsletter or website to which all can contribute
  • When you are on holidays, encourage your child to write postcards home to his or herself – this also works as a form of diary as they get to keep the note on the back, photos of the places visited and the stamps
  • Ask your child to write a list of things they would like to do or become, and how they can work towards those dreams
  • Don’t force the issue, instead quietly encourage and set a good example that children can emulate, overlook spelling errors and try to understand the message, give honest praise for writing or stories well done
  • Keep a family Joke Book, where each member adds jokes they particularly enjoyed
  • If your child likes cooking, suggest they copy out favourite recipes into their own notebook after each cooking lesson
  • Suggest your child joins with his or her friends to produce a neighbourhood/interest group newsletter to which they all contribute writing or artwork

More tips and information on encouraging children to read and write

'Books may well be the last true magic.'   ~ Alice Hoffman











Boys reading: Sonya Etchison, BigStockPhoto
Little Girl Reading: Nathalie Fraiz, BigStockPhoto
Teens reading: Galina Barskaya, BigStockPhoto
Boys and dog reading newspaper: Sonya Etchison, BigStockPhoto



In this section









'What do planets like to read?'
'Comet Books.'






















baby reading book

'What is a book's favorite food?'
'A bookworm.'







































two girls reading

'What does the mummy do when he goes to the library?'
'He gets all wrapped up in a good book.'

























two boys and their dog reading a newspaper

'A good book is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.'
Anonymous






















Christine reading in her garden

I like to read in different places, especially in my garden. I sometimes write here, too, on my laptop or in a notebook.










 










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